Do you force yourself?

I am three and half months out. I am not hungry in the evenings and I have tried to force myself and then I feel yucky so much so I am almost sick. I am getting my water and vitamins in but not enough protein. I am not really hungry in the morning either. I stopped the shakes because the ones I can tolerate give me runny bowel movements not long after drinking them.

Today:
B-cheese and tried fruit-one chunk of honeydew, cantaloupe and half of a strawberry
L-2.5oz of tilapia
S-two pieces of turkey jerky
D-1.5oz tuna (forced)

Yesterday:
B-cheese
L-2oz tilapia
S-spam single serve(tried to get in more protein)
D-2oz of chicken packet (forced)

Any suggestions would be appreciated because I don't know if I should force eating or not. Thanks in advance for your help.

I wouldnt say that I "force" myself to eat, I remind myself to eat. Not until I am so full I will be sick. Just enough to serve the purpose of getting in my protein.

It is so important to get the required amount it. I have to remind myself about 6 times a day to meet the requirement but this is the commitment that we signed up for.

Dont forget, the heart is a muscle and you dont want your body pulling protein from there.

 WOW!  You are barely eating anything.  It looks to be only around 300 calories at most.  Have you tried such things as cottage cheese, greek yogurt?  What about drinking those Carnation Instant Breakfast mixes with fortified milk?  Basically you take milk and add in powdered milk.  This ups the protein amount of the protein and the Carnation has protein in it as well.  You definately need to try and get more protein in.  Good luck to you, I know if can be difficult at times but you want to make sure you are getting adequate nutrition.

I know this is going to go against the grain for many, but from what I have learned along the way, I now understand better that we don't need to worry so much about high protein in the beginning. The most important thing is to get in enough fluids each day. When I was at 3 months, I averaged about 30g of protein a day and worried that I wasn't getting enough. I had all my labs done at month 4 and my protein levels were perfect. At this stage your body uses the additional body fat so the additional protein isn't as important. As you move further out, you should add more protein in and at that time, it will be easier to eat more.

My plan does not allow for protein shakes so I get all protein from food. I tried to force myself to eat at the beginning as well. But once I learned more about what was happening in my body, I stopped trying to force it. I would keep drinking my water throughout the day, but if I was full at dinner, I wouldn't force myself to eat. If I did, I would often throw up.

One thing I have found on this forum is that each of us is different. We are individuals with different needs. Keep up with your labs and adjust if needed. Until then, do what you feel is best for your overall recovery. Your stomach will be able to tolerate more over time and you will be able to add protein. I am now at a point where I eat my three meals and I am allowed one protein filled snack a day if needed. I average about 50g of protein per day and all my labs are excellent. Do what is best for your body and stay hydrated. The rest will come in time.

Lori H.

Your doctor sounds like mine - I am on a 3 meals/day only plan, no snacks. They don't want me having protein shakes or other "liquid calories" either. As such, on the days I follow this 100%, I end up around 25-35 grams of protein and 350-450 calories. Some days, I will have a protein shake (after a weight training or other strenuous workout), or a sf nf latte as a treat (milk protein!) or a little protein like cheese, which I had as a treat last night.

Both my surgeon and dietician said that with time I'll be able to eat more, and that I should focus on getting dense protein for my meals for now. I've only recently begun to notice that a) I can eat slightly more (e.g. 1/2 cup cottage cheese instead of 1/3) and b) I'm beginning to feel a wee bit tired. I'm getting my labs drawn next week and am curious to see what that shows.

Most days I am able to get all of my water in, but boy if I don't for a few days in a row, it makes a big difference!

When I was at the point you are, I was supposed to stay at about 300 calories, so your plan definitely sounds similar. After month 3, I was supposed to add 200 calories each month until 6 months. I am currently at 5 months out and trying to stay between 700-800 calories a day. I also cannot drink any calorie-containing beverages, which I think has had the most impact on my weight loss. I have not had a stall yet, so even though I started out rather skeptical, I am now a believer in the plan they put me on. I wanted to make it to my birthday without a stall and that is on Sunday, so from here on out, any movement on the scale in a downward motion will be good for me.

Lori H.

Funny you asked this question. Yesterday at my doctors office my husband and my doctor were talking about how I eat. My doctor turned to me and said he knows I do not eat 3 full meals a day. and 3 snacks. I asked him how do you know I dld not eat like that he told me I know I know you kind of scary he knows how I eat. He is right I am lucky to eat 2 times a day.

I asked him how do I eat when I am just not hungry. He told me he does not care if I am not hungry I need to eat ever 2 hours no matter what. Or I will end up sick and in his hospital sick very sick. And I better not end up in his hospital sick from not eating. I will not like the talk he will be yelling at me.

I believe him because he did yell one time at me and that is enough for me. I make my watch and phone alarm go off to remind me to eat something small every two hours. Even when I am not hungry.  He told I had to force my self to eat. So I am trying.

I am never hungry either but I'm a rational thinker and a realist and I think like this:  I eat to sustain myself, to be healthy and so I don't pass out.  I eat 3 meals a day with one snack and I get the adequate amount of protein in because I know it's important for me to heal and to keep my hair from falling out, (Hair is made of protein and sustains itself with same).  I want to continue to stay healthy regardless of how little I eat.  It's not about losing weight fast, showing off how little I eat, beating the clock or working against the grain, it's all about me, my life and my health.  

Maybe if you take on that way of thinking it might help?  Or perhaps you should speak with your nutritionist, he/she may be able to give you some helpful suggestions.


P.S.  Think of your body like a car, if you don't put fuel in it, it doesn't run.  If you don't put food in your body, it'll quit on you too.  Good luck!  

OK I know this is going to go against what many others are saying but this is my truth and I am sharing it.  The first three or so month I had no appetite at all.  I ate only protein because I knew I needed it.  I didn't get all my protein in, but I would get close.  I ate somewhere between 300-400 cals. most days.  I asked my doctor about it, and he thought it was just fine.  He told me not to worry about it and not to force myself to eat.  He did want me to concentrate on protein when I did eat.  He also told me that this was temporary and would pass.  He was right.  I lost a lot of weight, felt just fine and had great labs.  That's my story and I am sticking to it. 

In the early months i did force myself to drink some protein drinks. never forced myself with any soldi or mushy food. It takes a number of weeks to work up to the recommended amound. And you might only need a half serving of a protein drink a day to keep up. you can mix a half serving of protein powder in suger free pudding and its pretty good and goes down easy.

also, you might try soy based protein drinks as I suspect its they whey ones that disagree with you.

To get down a glass of protein drink I would put it in the freezer until it had ice crystals or even freeze it partially and then blend it. then i would pour out two ounces in a fancy glass and drink that and leave the rest in the freezer. then get a refill. having it real cold and in tiny portions made it easier to get down.

have learned to make protein coco out of any choc powder by adding extra unsweetened coco powder and whisking into very warm but not hot milk. cheaper than protein coco. if I am short of protein at the end of the day its what I do. works well.

The  unflavored soy protein powder mixes pretty well with soups and doesn't taste too bad.

hope this helps.

Diane